New Report Details Public Safety
Radio Communications at Pentagon On Sept. 11th

Earlier Tragedy Prepared Area for Attack, But
Nationally, Public Safety Calls Fail One-Third of the Time

(SafetyAlerts)
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The Public Safety Wireless Network (PSWN) Program today released Answering
the Call: Communications Lessons Learned from the Pentagon Attack, which
provides a detailed analysis of public safety communications at the Pentagon
incident on September 11, 2001. The report also includes steps public safety
agencies across the country can take to improve their radio communications.

The PSWN Program is a joint initiative sponsored by the Department of
Justice and the Department of the Treasury. The program works with the
public safety community at all levels of government to improve wireless
radio interoperability -- the ability of public safety officials to
communicate via radio seamlessly and in real time.

"The Pentagon incident demonstrates in a very public way how critically
important communications capabilities are for public safety agencies," said
Robert E. Lee, Jr., PSWN Program Manager. "Imagine the challenge of 50
different local, state and federal public safety agencies responding at the
Pentagon -- 900 different radio users, operating on multiple radio systems,
and attempting to communicate with one another."

The Pentagon report found that the majority of local public safety
responders at the scene experienced little difficulty establishing
interoperable communications during the initial response. Due to existing
"mutual-aid" agreements, most of the first responders had Arlington County's
radio frequencies preprogrammed into their portable radio equipment and had
frequently used the capability for other mutual-aid responses.

"The success of the initial response at the Pentagon can, in part, be
credited to the planning efforts of the region's public safety officials,"
said Rick Murphy, PSWN Program Manager. "When Air Florida Flight 90 crashed
into Washington, DC's 14th Street Bridge on January 13, 1982, the lack of
effective communications among public safety personnel called attention to
the need for improved public safety communications in the city's greater
metropolitan area."

While communications were smooth during the initial response, new challenges
arose as the number of state and federal agencies increased at the Pentagon
site. No means of direct radio communication were immediately available to
these secondary response agencies, and these agencies were left to find
alternate means to communicate.

"This report and recent news reports of communication failures among
firefighters responding at the World Trade Center highlight issues that
public safety agencies are facing across the country," said Murphy.
"Unfortunately, these problems are not confined to major incidents, such as
the events of September 11th. Studies show that across the Nation, public
safety officials have trouble communicating in operational situations
one-third of the time."

"This is a situation that can and must be corrected -- through the
allocation of resources and radio spectrum, and further cooperation and
training," added Lee. "No man, woman, or child should ever lose his or her
life because public safety officials cannot talk to one another."

The PSWN Program is a joint initiative sponsored by the Department of
Justice and the Department of the Treasury. The PSWN Program brings together
public safety officials from local, state, federal, and tribal governments
to increase wireless interoperability among the Nation's fire, law
enforcement, and emergency medical services departments. The program
conducts pilot projects and symposiums nationwide, and provides the public
safety community with comprehensive information on wireless
interoperability. For more information, please contact the PSWN Program at
1-800-565-PSWN, via e-mail at information@pswn.gov, or visit the Web site at
http://www.pswn.gov .

An executive summary of the Pentagon report follows this release. The report
is also available on the PSWN Program Web site at: http://www.pswn.gov/library/pdf/Answering_the_Call_Pentagon_Attack.pdf
.

Answering the Call:
Communications Lessons Learned From the Pentagon Attack

Executive Summary

The tragic events of September 11th occurred in quick succession with little
or no warning of the impending danger. Within moments of the crash at the
Pentagon, incident responders from public safety organizations in the
Washington, DC, metropolitan area and, in the later stages, others from far
beyond the metropolitan area borders, arrived on the scene to support a
variety of services including fire suppression, emergency medical treatment,
traffic control, search and rescue, and crime scene investigation.

A total of 50 public safety agencies responded to the incident resulting in
approximately 900 radio users attempting communications with various mission
requirements and priorities to consider.

To determine the state of wireless communications at the Pentagon, the
Public Safety Wireless Network (PSWN) Program tapped multiple sources with
first-hand, on-site knowledge. The program conducted 32 interviews with
first responders, technical representatives, and public information officers
from the public safety agencies that responded. The PSWN Program also
attended police and fire Metropolitan Council of Governments (COG) meetings,
observed panel discussions about the response to the attacks, and reviewed
congressional testimony given by numerous public safety officials.

The PSWN Program developed the following findings regarding interoperable
communications at the Pentagon site:

-- Regional Planning and Coordination Effort. Because of the unique
geographical and political environment of the Washington, DC, metropolitan
area, its public safety leaders realized many years ago that any response to
a major incident in the area would be a regional response. With the
Metropolitan Council of Governments (COG) providing a proactive forum for
planning and coordination, local jurisdictions instituted plans and
procedures for mutual-aid interoperability. In fact, these plans are used on
a daily basis by most local agencies, greatly reducing confusion for
responding agencies.

-- Training. Washington, DC metropolitan area agencies regularly conduct
mass casualty and incident drills that bring together the various local
agencies to effect a large-scale response. Through these drills, agencies
rehearse the necessary operational and communications procedures.
Additionally, interoperability training takes form as a daily occurrence for
public safety personnel when responding to routine incidents in other
jurisdictions and using alternate radio systems to support these operations.

-- Incident Command System. The early establishment and strict adherence to
a formal ICS was a key factor supporting successful communications at the
Pentagon attack. The ICS was flexible and scalable, and allowed the Incident
Commander to track and oversee all facets of the operations.

-- Commercial Services Usage. Major incidents, regardless of location, have
shown that commercial service networks are not designed to handle the
immense volume of calls generated at or near an incident scene. Responders
found that the only reliable form of communications were their own, private
land mobile radio systems.

-- Lack of Interoperability Among State and Federal Responders. During the
initial response, the majority of local public safety responders experienced
no difficulty in establishing interoperable communications on the scene.
This was because of the high-level of regional coordination and agreements
previously established. However, as the number of state and federal agencies
(secondary responders) increased at the site, interoperability presented new
challenges. No means of direct interoperability were immediately available
to these secondary response agencies.

-- "Total Interoperability" Requirement. First responders require seamless
communications. However, the level of interoperability necessary to support
operations for secondary, or support responders, has not been documented.
The level of interoperability necessary to support effective public safety
operations after the first few critical hours is also undefined.

The PSWN Program developed the following recommendations for public safety
agencies to enhance communications interoperability in responding to routine
and majors incidents:

* Develop regional and statewide communications systems that can support
interoperable communications among multiple agencies.

* Establish mutual-aid agreements and standard operating procedures -- not
only among local agencies -- but also among state and federal public safety
agencies.

* Adhere to common technology standards in the design, procurement, and
implementation of future public safety communications systems.

The PSWN Program is a joint initiative sponsored by the Department of
Justice and the Department of the Treasury. The program works with the
public safety community at all levels of government to improve wireless
radio interoperability.

The information contained herein has been obtained from sources that the Company believes to be reliable, however, the Company has not independently verified or confirmed the information and the recipient acknowledges that no representations or warranties are being made in connection with the use of the information.